I’m writing you today because I find this annual routine of submitting taxes that we, American citizens, are forced to do is a waste of time and resources.  I have ideas to drastically change our tax system, but this letter is intended to ask one very basic question:

You already have data on our wages, interest, investments, and other financial data, so why do you make us fill out forms to submit with the SAME data again, only to “audit” a percentage of these submissions?

I’m sorry but the first thing I would recommend is to send me the bill, and I’ll respond with deductions, and pay the difference.

Thanks,

Financial Freedumb & Brownie

US Citizens

Income Ratios and Power: Executives vs. Laborers

Another way that income can be used as a power indicator is by comparing average CEO annual pay to average factory worker pay, something that has been done for many years byBusiness Week and, later, the Associated Press. The ratio of CEO pay to factory worker pay rose from 42:1 in 1960 to as high as 531:1 in 2000, at the height of the stock market bubble, when CEOs were cashing in big stock options. It was at 411:1 in 2005 and 344:1 in 2007, according to research by United for a Fair Economy. By way of comparison, the same ratio is about 25:1 in Europe. The changes in the American ratio from 1960 to 2007 are displayed in Figure 8, which is based on data from several hundred of the largest corporations.

Figure 8: CEOs’ pay as a multiple of the average worker’s pay, 1960-2007

For entire article, read:  http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

The Republicans have no candidate that can draw independents and some of the left to support them.  No matter how much Obama is disliked, the candidates from the GOP just don’t have what it takes.  I mean, all it would take is a half-way decent candidate from the GOP to win.  Obama is far from popular at the moment.  In other words, Obama wins because the GOP is just handing him the victory.

It’s too bad a stronger GOP candidate hasn’t entered the party.

If an average worker’s pay were increased at the same rate as CEO average pay, the average production worker should be making about $108,000 per year.  That would mean that worker and CEO pay were moving in sync.  And that would be a good indication to me, that our CEO’s are not being greedy.

Look, I understand there are many in the OWS movement that are just lazy.  The same can be said for any movement.  However, there are many truths to this movement, and it does make people talk.  I believe everyone should be able to get rich in America with hard work and personal ownership of your decisions and actions, but I don’t think greed has has helped anyone but the social elites.  Even the president doesn’t make a million dollar salary.  I wonder how Ameican’s would react if the president made 475 times the salary of the average federal worker.

Can anyone explain to me why celebrities and athletes make millions, while our public servants are at the bottom of the pay scale?

Here’s a post I found that had some great charts.

Need I say more?  Read the post here:

http://tmotr.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/going-for-broke-will-legislate-for-food/

EDIT:  A comment posted has indicated this chart is not correct.  You can find the link in the comment.  The person who made the chart may have exaggerated a bit…looks like in 2010, CEO pay was 325 to 1.

This type of thinking also reminds me of this quote floating around the internet now:

What amazes me is that conservatives are all for reigning in debt.  Accountability after all, right?  Cap and spend.  Don’t spend more than what comes in.

Keep in mind solicitation vs. debt collection calls are 2 entirely different things.  If you owe money, pay it.  That’s the simple solution.  If you can’t pay, then collectors have every right to contact you to try and recoup payment.

Next up, Tea Party calls the ACLU for help to protect their rights.

Love this comment:

If Rick Perry or Romney said it you republicans would all be in favor of it! “Yea! People need to be fiscally responsible and pay their bills without hiding from creditors behind their cell phones!” ……but since Obama said it you are all against it ……..biggest hypocrites in the world …….. I guess all you fiscal conservatives are up to your knees in debt apparently then.

About 2 months later, I finally received my bundle after many complaints and calls to the store.  Not a single apology or attempt to rectify the situation.  Best Buy has lost me as a customer for good.  Customer service makes a difference.

I urge you to challenge those against creating a level tax field head on!  Publicly fight for the middle class and continue to ask the question why the rich pay a smaller percentage of their income on taxes than the middle class!  I will support you.

Yes, we have disagreements about taxes in general, especially how some in America pay no taxes, but this is just one battle in a war.

Sincerely,
Freedumb

Price increases are fine, but Netflix’s rate increase was crazy.  All they had to do was emphasize the importance of their subscribers and ease them into the rate increase.

Now Netflix has made people hate them, which breeds even more disdain.  With their brand tarnished, and competitors creeping up from all over, Netflix has essentially shot themselves in the foot.

I switched my subscription to DVD only, I rarely used streaming.  Might even cancel that soon.

Sure there will always be reason to visit the bank, maybe when you need a loan, want traveler’s checks, or maybe you need financial advice (sarcasm), but will it justify huge electricity, rent, and other bills associated with a physical location?

ING will be rolling out an online check deposit system soon too.  If you don’t know what online check deposits are, basically you take a digital picture of a paper check and submit it online, and magically the deposit will be taken care of.  No more filling out those annoying bank deposit slips or hoping you don’t get robbed while depositing checks at the ATM.

I wish to thank my bank for many years of service, but I think I’ll be closing that account.  I may keep my credit union account for those occasional visits.

I do believe this is the time, we as a country, need to discuss how and what needs to be changed in order for our country to head in the right direction.  Here are the things I would put into effect immediately if I could:

1. Eliminate all private funding for elected officials.  No more lobbying.  No more private donations.  All elected officials can only run on public funds.  The amount they receive to run for a specific office is determined by the type and size of the office they are running for.
   REASON:  This will eliminate any outside influences, especially those of the corporate nature.  Candidates will run on the platform and principles they believe in.  Their only worry?  The public–the people they represent.
2. Institute a balance budget amendment over a course of 10 years.
   REASON:  Our country should operate just like any other person.  Borrowing is still an option, but only if the revenues would allow.  Expenses should never be greater than income.
3. Everyone should be paying some taxes – business, citizens, and even illegal immigrants – even if that means the lowest tax bracket is 1%.  This is related to point #4.
   REASON:  Freedom is not free.  Our country protects everyone in this country regardless of whether you are here legally or illegally.  We all work to make this country what it is, and everyone should do a little to contribute.
4. Revamp our tax system to make it simple and efficient.
   REASON:  This will eliminate the enormous amount of waste our government spends on tracking and collecting taxes.  We also need to eliminate/minimize the possibility of fraud and collect on earnings made by non-citizens (aka illegal immigrants).

 
Even if we just implemented point #1, I think we would see some dramatic and immediate changes to our government.  I don’t see why anyone would argue against making our elected officials run on a fair, even playing field.  Point #2 is also very important.  If the US implemented points #1 & #2, our country would be headed in the right direction.  Points #3 & #4 are also important, but I think first we need to clean up our government and put rules into place that will help us achieve a more responsible government.

I believe in principle, and I agree we need to get our country’s debt in order.  However, don’t principles have priorities?  This world is NOT black and white, despite what some would like to believe.  These choices have serious consequences.  In my life, I have made many personal choices based on principle, but it’s always about weighing the priorities and then making a decision.

I ask our elected officials to remember that this isn’t a game.  If you miss a payment, is that not against principle?  Grow up.  It’s clear everyone will not agree on everything.  Does America’s reputation and credit worthiness not count for anything in this debate?

Have you weighed your principles recently?  What’s the most important, IMMEDIATE priority here?

He said basically that the reason it caused the breakdown is because it comes from the very people that will invest in our economy.  Well, I say then, so be it.

Dear Speaker Boehner:

I’m an average American, working for a large company.  I understand that there are two ways to make up for this budget crisis facing our country:  new revenues/taxes OR spending cuts.

I would like to see a mix of both.

I understand that almost half the citizens in this country pay no taxes.  I also understand that the tax cuts created during the Bush years have not been reverted.  I also understand that government spends too much.

I’m not talking just tax the rich, because corporations are raking in profits while paying less taxes then they should, some people don’t pay taxes at all!  All I’m asking is that you, and every elected official be reasonable and fair.

Regards,

Financial Freedumb & Brownie

I plan to cancel my subscription once my current billing period is over.  I haven’t been using Netflix, both DVD and streaming, as much as I’d like.  Maybe I’ll sign up again when I have time, but with DVD options like Redbox and streaming options like Hulu, what’s the point?

Thanks Netflix for the many years of service and for pioneering a new industry.  Hopefully these increases end up producing real results in the form of current streaming content, which might make me come back.

I’m not agreeing to an all out increase of income taxes, but a reversal of the tax breaks given during the Bush years, even to the middle and lower classes.  If we’re all in this together, than that’s fair.  Do I agree with Democrats on just reverting taxes on the wealthy?  I’m not going to lie, I’d take it, but I’m not in the upper tier, so I’d take it.

After the taxes have been reverted, then we should start looking at cuts.

Compromise!  You give, I give…or I give, you give.  Whatever the case, someone needs to make the first move.  If this leads to a national crisis, I’m thinking the president gets off looking like the hero.  He’s at least trying to compromise.  The GOP on the other hand, looks like they are unwilling to budge at all.

The worst I’ve done is purchased the same item, only to return the old one because something was wrong with it.  Maybe that’s a little unethical as well?  These are obviously items with no serial numbers printed on the box, or it wouldn’t work.  I just rather not deal with warranties and other paperwork.  Buying and returning the defective device is so much easier.

I wonder if the sense of entitlement people have in today’s culture has lead to this type of behavior?

But the Voice has my attention right now, and I really hope the final four is Javier Colon, Vicci Martinez, Beverly McClellan, and Dia Frampton.  Such amazing contrast in talent…the most similarity is Beverly and Vicci.  I can’t decide between Javier, Vicci, and Dia.  Beverly was good, but I don’t think she was as good as the other three.   The other three were just amazing.

• Javier Colon sang Fix You
  Not the best song. Too much that took away from his voice, which I believe is the key to him winning. Just on voice, Javier leads all…although I think Dia is very close.  Christina is right…he should’ve sang a more soulful song that featured his voice.
• Vicci Martinez sang Dog Days are Over
  Strong. Powerful.  WOW.  It wasn’t just the song.  It was the entire performance.  I couldn’t help but cheer for her. The drums, the swagger, everything just pulled me in.
• Dia Frampton sang Losing My Religion
  Great performance. I can’t believe how much she surprised me. The right song choice and her own style just comes together.  Her voice is so unique, but I don’t know how much she can “sing.”
• Beverly McClellan sang The Thrill is Gone
  Another strong singer…I think it was just the wrong song. I’m not saying it’s a bad song, it just wasn’t enough to pull me in.  I have some doubts about Beverly still.

I can’t wait until results!

I asked this before, but it still holds true some 5 years later, why is income such a taboo topic?  It’s as if people get their feelings hurt among friends to hear someone is doing well or not so well.  In my eyes, as long as you got food on the table, able save a little, and comfortable, you are FINE.  If you make more than me, that’s AWESOME.  If you make less, well, sucks for you!  haha.  Just kidding, but really, if you’re not happy, then work harder?

Person (@age)
@33:  $108,000
@34:  $67,000
@35:  $120,000
@34: $80,000
@34: $64,000
@34: $130,000

In general, my friends are all doing pretty well.  In fact, I know at least 3 of my other friends, who I haven’t felt comfortable asking are making $100k+, and another friend making around $60k.

I have a mortgage now…

I cannot trust
Too close distant
People become stars
Someday
The sky will near
Keep trucking on
Fall back and trust
-freedumb

The bottom line is someone pays for this in the end.  I’m willing to bet the losers are everyday consumers.  Here I am, the author of a personal finance blog, actually putting limits on frugality.  Extreme couponing is just another example of how greedy and materialistic American culture has become.  What do you think about that person on Halloween that grabs all the candy from the candy bowl on your neighbor’s porch?  Yeah, that’s similar to an extreme couponer in my mind…Maybe the only saving grace is if a couponer donates it away.

Overall, it seems to be a waste.  I don’t know why I get a receipt when I fill gas.  I don’t know why I get a receipt at McDonald’s or Starbucks.  Maybe it’s a sense of comfort knowing that I have this piece of paper that indicates how much I paid for goods and services?  I never reconcile or go back to balance anything since most of my purchases are on credit cards nowadays.

I think I’m going to say “no” to more receipts.  I…must….say……no……………..(receipts).

The best way to get the most of your US Dollar:

1. Use a credit card with no fees, i.e. CapitolOne.  Not only do they not charge any exchange fees, they absorb the 1% charged by Visa/Mastercard.  So you essentially get the market exchange rate with no fees.
2. The next best method involves actually getting foreign currency and is using an ATM machine, but just like credit cards, each debit card has fees.  The one I used had a simple 1% fee up to a maximum daily withdrawal limit of $500.  I also had a backup debit card that was actually a better deal if I withdrew over $500, with a flat $5.00 withdrawal fee.  Keep in mind this does not include the fee the ATM you are using charges, so find one that doesn’t charge much.
3. Exchanging traveler’s checks would be my third option.  Not only do you typically get a slightly better exchange rate than cash, it’s safer.  My credit union gives these to me for free, so I usually get some before I leave.
4. Finally cash.  Always the most reliable, but so many drawbacks to exchanging currency, including traveler’s checks.  Generally the best places to exchange are banks, some countries have post offices that do banking, non-hotel exchange places, hotel exchange, and finally at the retail location.

I’d try to stay away from #3 and #4.  Happy travels!

Now that I’ve purchased, my opinion has changed.  The primary goals when I bought:  1.  Make sure the monthly bills would be LESS than how much I could rent for should I decide to rent in the future, and 2.  be in a great, stable location.

Anyway, getting off topic, but this is the “Real Estate” section of CNNMoney.com…you can see why I’m confused:

I don’t hate you, Apple, but I sort of do.  It’s like a love-hate relationship that lingers more on the hate side of things.

Some people have legitimate reasons to use an Apple…like…hm.  Maybe they grew up with it and feel comfortable with it — sort of like rich people who grew up with fancy clothes and can’t live without it.  I’ll be fair, Macs do experience far less exposure to viruses and other potential cyber-criminal acts.  I do attribute this fact to the fact that less people use Macs, thus less computer to computer transmitted diseases.  I think that’s a fine reason to use a Mac.  So there are some legitimate reasons to use an Apple Macintosh computer.

As far as using Apple iPads and iPhones?  You did a great job innovating and coming out with a product people want.  I do appreciate everything you are doing, because you are creating new, fun products.

So why do I dislike you so much?  I will never use a Mac.  There definitely is no reason for me to.  I will never buy an iPad or iPhone.  Why?  Because they are like the high-end fashion designer — a symbol of waste and indulgence.  PCs do everything a Mac does for less money — anything you can do, a PC can do better — there’s no denying that, especially if you are computer savvy.  Come on, one mouse button for how many years?!?  Or how about iPads that can’t multi-task.  Wow.  As far as iPads and iPhones go…nice products, but I can’t stand how they dictate the rules.  Everything is controlled, nothing is public.  The “hey, want to use Flash there Apple fanboy?”  ”NO, too bad” says Mr. Jobs type attitude.  You did not create Windows, Xerox did.

Good luck Apple with iPad2!  I actually hope it’s a really good product.  Because I dislike you so much, I hope you continue to succeed because that forces others to keep up or excel pass you.  I also thank all your Apple fan boys for making Apple successful, because otherwise we may not see as much innovation in the tech world.

Hate,
Freedumb

P.S.  I don’t really like Microsoft either, but it’s cheaper, faster, less tyrannical, and less pretty than you.  I don’t like pretty, unless we’re talking about women.

I guess it’s not too bad, but I could reduce my bill a little more.  Here’s a link to my post with previous effective tax rates.

Oh, on top of buying all the things you need for a home.  WOW.  That ended up being a shocker.  I spent nearly $10k to purchase furniture and all the necessities of a home.  I really didn’t have much before moving in, except for a bed, dresser, and clothes.  So the move in checklist was huge.

Lessons learned:

• If you can afford an interest rate when you go in for your loan, lock it.  Don’t press your luck and hope the rates go down.  When I got my pre-qual, I had the opporunity to lock in a rate of 3.875%.  When I did lock, about 5 days later, I locked in at 4.125% and had to pay 1 more point to get that rate.
• Make sure to put aside a good budget for post-purchase items, more if you need to renovate/change out major items.
• Make sure your loan officer and realtors are on top of things and good communicators.
• I decided not to go with the improved title insurance, although maybe I should’ve.  It would’ve costed me 10% more for the premium title insurance…still not sure if I should’ve gone with it.
• Wait for the right place.  Of course it’s only been 2 months, but I’ve been looking for someplace for over 2 years now.  I’m really happy with the location, price I paid, condition of my home, and the neighbors.  I do have some minor concerns, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.
• Make sure to run lots of bleach/water in the washer after moving in.  My clothes smelt like mildew because I didn’t, until I realized I needed to clean out the washer.
• Make sure to run the hot water to empty out the tank.
• During the inspection, check everything including the blinds, washer, dryer, windows, stove, fridge, etc.  Try to be thorough.
• During the offer period, the property had 2 additional offers.  I decided to come in at the top of my budget and hope for the best.  I didn’t want to get into a bidding war.  I don’t know what would’ve happened if I came in at the lower offer I had in mind, but I do know I have my place now, and I’m comfortable with the mortgage.

I’ll write more in the future as I think of things, which I’m sure I will as time goes on.

To whom it may concern,

Many years ago, I put virtually all of my assets into a trust with the intent of giving away at least 95% of my wealth to charitable causes.  I have already given hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research and education, and I will give billions more over time.  Until now, I have done this giving quietly – because I have long believed that charitable giving is a personal and private matter.  So why am I going public now?  Warren Buffett personally asked me to write this letter because he said I would be “setting an example” and “influencing others” to give.  I hope he’s right.

Larry Ellison

Ref URL:  http://givingpledge.org/#larry_ellison

It’s neat to see the candidness of his letter.  Even billionaires are people.  lol.  Larry Ellison is a co-founder and the CEO of Oracle.

Citi has offered me 2 bonus Thank You point offers, Chase has a spend $100 a month, and get some cash off…There are some other things flying around too.  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen credit card companies start offering bonuses.

3. Make my charitable contributions for the year.
4. Do a trial run of my taxes to see if there are any other things to add to this list.

I don’t get it…all this fuss about tax extensions.

Why not just extend tax cuts to all but the rich, then add a provision for small businesses. Something like small businesses where profit > 250k means you pay more taxes. All I hear from people for tax cuts for all is that small businesses would be hurt…so why not address that issue? Just fix it so people will compromise. All this grandstanding is pointless. I just want results. Get this done.

If I were making 250k a year, I would not mind paying a little more.

Seems to me that not only would this address most of the hold up, it would also let us tackle our deficit a little. Don’t most rich shelter a majority of their income from taxes anyway…Whatever the case, can you please get this done before 2011.

Regards,
Financial Freedumb & Brownie

I need to post soon about my new piece of property!

I have many challenges to overcome in my own life…

Please spread the word about helping to stop bullying and harassment in all its forms, regardless of the reason.

It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 7 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months, many of them due to homophobic abuse in their homes or at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase, Billy Lucas amd Cody J. Barker. You are loved. *reference

So many lives lost recently, especially in the area of GLBT youth. It’s really sad that anyone would rather not live, than live gay. I don’t believe people need to agree with the lifestyle, but I do believe people need to compassionate. We live in a world where everyone has differing opinions, why is it that certain ones cause people to kill themselves?

Some other posts:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/13/901621/-Another-Dead-15-Year-Old.-Make-it-stop

There are tons and tons of how do I root my Evo, what the hell is a root, etc. etc.  So, I’ll try to explain it the best I can from my perspective.

Rooting your phone is a way to “unlock” your phone.  By default, when you purchase your phone from Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, etc. they “lock” it so that you can’t do whatever you want to it.  This prevents users from users from abusing their networks.  Unfortunately, this also means users are limited in what they can do with their phones.  This is why people want to root their phones so badly.  Be aware that if you run into an issue with your phone, chances are they will deny you service if you’ve rooted it and the problem might be related to the root itself.  Just do what I did and ask yourself, are you willing to shell up the money for another phone if your phone breaks?  If not, don’t do it.  If so, proceed.

Quick, Important Links:

• http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-evo-4g/122802-unrevoked3-complete-evo-windows-instructions.html
• http://unrevoked.com/
• http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
• http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

Here’s what I did:

1.  Went to http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-evo-4g/122802-unrevoked3-complete-evo-windows-instructions.html.  Pretty much followed the directions as listed with no deviations.  Here are the instructions modified as I’d say it:

Prep

Before beginning the process, I would recommend doing the following to your phone:

(1) If you have the original unrevoked root installed, uninstall it by using “Menu”, “Settings”, “Applications”, “Manage Applications” and scrolling to “Unrevoked” at the bottom. Tap it, click “Force Stop” at the bottom and then “Uninstall”, “OK” to uninstall it. Then power off/on your phone just to be sure.

(2) If you haven’t already installed the OTA 1.47 update, do it now: “Menu”, “Settings”, “System Updates”, and “HTC software update” at the bottom, then click “Check Now” to get the 1.47 update. If you do this update, it takes up to 10 minutes so be patient and let the phone reboot (a few times) until it is done. Then once the update is done, power off/on one last time to get a clean start.

(3) Set your phone to “Charge Only”: “Menu”, “Settings”, “Connect to PC”, tap “Default connection type” and select “Charge Only”.

(4) Enable USB debugging: “Menu”, “Settings”, “Applications”, “Development”, and put a check in “USB debugging”.

The root process

(1) Go to Control Panel on your system and uninstall any “HTC” software such as “HTC Sync”.

(2) Download the unrevoked3 install package: Go to
unrevoked3 recovery reflash tool, v3.0 and click “Download for Windows”. Save the “Reflash-bundle.exe” file somewhere that you can find it on your system.

(3) Using Explorer, run the “Reflash-bundle.exe” file you just downloaded. It’ll ask where to install it. Don’t just accept the default: change the install location to a folder you can remember: it’s just going to unzip some files there: it isn’t really a software installer.

(4) Once the files have unzipped, go to the folder you chose in the above step. You should find an “hboot driver.htm” file in that folder: double click on that to open the html instructions on how to install the drivers. Follow the instructions in the html file starting with downloading the actual driver files at the very top. When you download those driver files and unzip those, those are the files (the folder) you’ll point to in subsequent steps in those instructions. When done with the html instructions, you should have drivers installed and shouldn’t have to come back to this step.

(5) At this point, if you needed to install the drivers, you are probably still sitting at a boot menu on your phone. UNPLUG the phone from USB and select “Fastboot” and then “Reboot” to reboot the phone to restart it. Before the next step, your phone should be on and booted up in its normal operating state (not some boot menu).

(6) If you are running anti-virus software, turn it OFF or disable it now.

(7) Now go to the folder where you unzipped the reflash bundle (step 3 above). In XP or older systems, just double click the “Reflash.exe” file. On Vista and Win7 systems, I’d recommend right clicking on “Reflash.exe” and selecting “Run as Administrator”. While this may not be necessary, I know that some USB drivers get really mad if you try to access the USB port without admin privileges (sorry, I’m a coder so I run into that stuff and warn you so you don’t have to) so I did it as a precaution.

(8) You should get a window with “Unrevoked 3″ on it (on the computer of course). Just follow the instructions in smaller font below “Unrevoked 3″ to finish rooting. Note that when it says “Waiting for device”, it wants you to plug your Evo into the computer via the USB cable. Note that it wants the Evo to be fully booted normally (not in the Hboot or recovery menus). The prompts at this point are very specific so no need to repeat them. If all works as it is supposed to, the only thing you really have to do is scroll to an item on the phone and select it when instructed. The rest is automated and should result in a “Done” message. The whole thing at this point took maybe one minute so it isn’t something you have to wait for or stare at for a long time so if something gets “stuck” for a while… there’s likely a problem.

Once the Unrevoked3 app says, “Done.” you can close Unrevoked3, disconnect the USB, and restart the phone.  Make sure “Reboot” is highlighted on your phone, and press the power button.  This should reboot.

(9) Don’t forget to turn your anti-virus software back ON.

Now, when I followed these steps on my Win7 x64 system, reflash.exe detected the phone and started working (we’re in step 8 here) but about 4 messages into the process I got the “communications lost… try again” message that unrevoked refers to on today’s Twitter. Some say that (contrary to step 1) installingHTC sync actually solves the problem. I didn’t try that. After about 6 tries on my Win7 system and even pulling some “tricks” to try to pause reflash.exe at certain points, I gave up and simply booted my old XP laptop and repeated the above steps and it worked perfectly the first time. At the point of the failure, you hear the two tone usb-device-disconnected sound followed by a use-device-connected sound about 20 seconds later. Somewhere in between is where the “communications lost” message appears so it looks like some sort of USB ack/nack issue. Hopefully it’ll be resolved soon. My best advice if you get that error: try a new machine. The XP machine that worked perfectly for me had never seen any HTC software. Maybe that helped. And maybe after I uninstalled the HTC software on my Win7 x64 system (the one that didn’t work) I should have rebooted before continuing: I didn’t because it didn’t prompt for a restart and I couldn’t find anything “HTC” running in task manager.

*I had no problems installing and running Unrevoked3 on Win7 64bit.

The process took me about 30 minutes to complete.  My phone looks the same as before, except I now have a Superuser root app and Wireless Tether works!  All of my applications are the same.

I also deleted some Sprint apps, specifically:  Sprint_NASCAR.apk, Sprint_NFL.apk, Sprint_Promotions.apk, Sprint_TV.apk, amazonmp3.apk.  The process to delete these applications are a little harder than the root process itself, but it’s not overwhelming.  You can download and buy the Root Folder which will let you bypass the following instructions for removing apps.

Removing apps, assuming you have rooted your system using Unrevoked3:

1. Get Android SDK from Google, http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html.  You may also have to download the Java SDK from Oracle/Sun, http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp.
2. Modify your system PATH to include the “bin” directory from where you installed Java.
3. Run the Android SDK toolkit, you may actually be able to skip this step, because the toolkit should already be installed.
4. Open a dos command prompt, then locate the Android SDK toolkit directory.
5. Connect your phone to your system via USB.  Phone should still be in DEBUG USB, charge only mode as you set when rooting your phone.
6. Run the command ‘adb reboot recovery’.  This will reboot your phone into recovery mode.
7. Once rebooted, Run the command ‘adb pull /system/app’.  This will download all apps on your phone before you start to delete things…this is in case you delete something you didn’t want to.
8. Once all your apps are downloaded from your phone to your computer, issue the following command from the command prompt, ‘adb shell’.  Now it’s time for the dirty work.  The following list of commands need to be run in order to begin removing the apps.
   - mount /system (this will make the system folder available)
   - mount /data
   - cd /system/app
   - ls -la (this will list all the applications installed on your phone)
   - rm ______________  (fill in the blank with any application you want to remove)
   - exit (when your done)
9. That’s it!  Your applications should now be gone.  Restart your phone and double check.

TLDR:  Rooted my phone with Unrevoked3, installed Android SDK, then removed all the apps I hated from Sprint and installed Tether.

If you ever have a complaint, here are 2 reference links:

BBB:  http://bbb.org/

FCC:  http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

Waiting for the callback.

I learned my lesson, and am still dealing with Sprint customer support.  2 online chat sessions, and 2 calls so far.  Why?  Well, I didn’t realize my main number wasn’t designated as the primary number, so when I bought my HTC EVO online, I only received $75 credit.  $75 is half the discount available.  So I had contacted Sprint about it, and they said since this number wasn’t my primary, I could only receive the normal 12 month discount.  This sounds reasonable except, the main number, aka primary line, is my very first number I had on my account.  I added a phone for my mom and 2 lines for business, but never had to designate a primary number.  I guess Sprint was nice enough to pick one randomly for me.  The real kicker is that one of the 2 business numbers were designated as the primary and these 2 lines have been inactive for over 2 years!  I just kept them on because there was no additional charge for them.

When I asked the customer support representative, “So if I had just called you before I bought my phone to switch my primary number, then I would have received the full discount?”  He said, “Yes.”  If only Sprint told me what my primary number is by designating it on my bill or online account, I would have no issues with this, but I had no clue, what I thought to be, my “primary number” was NOT my primary number.

I’m still dealing with support trying to get the full $150 discount.  More on this saga to come…So far I’m not liking being a premier customer.

Your Orange Loan Account is available at a variable rate of 9.9% APR. There’s no minimum withdrawal, no transaction charges and no pre-payment penalties. Just financial peace of mind.

It’s a free line of credit.  I’m not sure why I’m hesitant on accepting the offer other than adding more unused credit to my credit history.  I asked myself the question, “Can I imagine myself ever needing it?”  I answered, “I don’t know.”  Isn’t that the reason you get a line of credit?  Just in case?

I’m leaning towards accepting the offer.  Would you?

Update 1:  Found a link that details whether this does a hard pull on your credit:  http://www.creditboards.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t423819.html

Hard Pull vs. Soft Pull:  http://www.thesunsfinancialdiary.com/credit-report/credit-inquiries-hard-pull-and-soft-pull/

Update 2:  I just signed up…

Just a few tips during the ordering process:

• If you just want a SIMPLE upgrade be sure to select the same version/type of Windows as you currently have installed.  For example, if you have Vista Home Premium 32-bit, select Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit.
• If you want to upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit, it is possible.
• You can purchase either Home Premium or Professional.
• The download is approx. 3GBs, so if your connection is slow, buy the additional “Backup DVD”.

My recommendation, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Assuming you did the clean install, or as MS calls it, “custom install,” one issue I had was trying to figure out how I’m going to backup my email with Windows Live Mail.  I couldn’t find ANY information on doing this quick and easy, so I decided to do a test.  I just completely copied the storage folder for Windows Live Mail.  Then I simply replaced the storage directory for Windows Live Mail on another machine, and bam, all my email was moved with all my account settings.  It was amazing!  It will ask you for the username / passwords as it’s trying to resync IMAP accounts, or download email from POP accounts, but it works like magic.   My backup and restore process for Windows Live Mail (WLM):

1. Locate and copy the entire storage location for WLM.
2. Install WLM on new system.
3. Run it, cancel any prompts, and just close WLM out.
4. Find the storage location, and just pop all the files from your old WLM to the new location.
5. Start up WLM.

Finally, if you bought it from the link above and run into this error:

“We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in which this application was downloaded. Please check the folder properties to make sure that you have security permission on the folder to write files and that the folder is not read-only”

Go to this link:  http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7install/thread/aedb1245-f8f9-42ec-9a0c-1aa932363bbb

Look at the “Answer”.  It does require you have a DVD Burner and a few minutes to type out a few command old school style, but it’s not that bad.

I’m using Windows 7 now…for the first time.  Never used the release candidate.  So far, I’m fairly impressed.   Anyway, I just figured I’d share since I just went through the process. Good luck!

Let me make this perfectly clear, I appreciate any service that anyone provides, public or private. We’re not talking military or people who risk their lives to help others. That’s different, and I think we owe them much more than just gratitude. I’m talking about the vast majority of public sector workers.

Hawaii is experiencing tough times. The governor has already done a lot to trim expenses and increase revenue BESIDES affecting the payroll. Now that we are experiencing another of 3(?) revised shortfalls, public sector workers are fighting against payroll reductions.

I believe there is compromise to be had, but to use the argument that payroll reductions are unfair is RIDICULOUS. In my opinion, Hawaii has too many state workers. I read that California has a 1.5% rate of state workers in the population, where as Hawaii has 3%. It’s fair to assume that some inefficiencies are there.

I do believe we need furloughs and/or layoffs. While I feel for the people affected, the State should operate just like a business. Raising taxes or digging into coffers of other public funds is a crutch that no private business has the luxury of using.

For the love of God, please, this is not about private vs. public sectors. This is about being reasonable and financially responsible. I’m willing to compromise, but to not expect any payroll reduction is crazy.

And one more note, slightly related, in some situations Unions make sense, but for the vast majority of cases, it doesn’t.  I think as a country we should really consider how we use Unions.  Unions are hurting the country more than helping in today’s day and age in my honest opinion.

• 40% The H’s, mainly for the use of school for the 2 girls.
• 30% The V’s – I hope they can use that to fund their downpayment for their own place (10%) and for C’s college (20%).
• 10% for Brownie’s care.
• 10% for my Alma Mater.
• 10% for my family, since they really have enough money already, I don’t think they need it.

Eventually I’ll work on solid numbers, but for now that’s a good starting point I guess.

In life, I’ve met many who give others advice, and it’s the same in the blogging world.  I hope people are wise enough to decide for themselves what’s prudent and, ultimately, accountable for their own decisions –especially in these times when it’s so easy to blame other people.

I use Taxact.com every year.  Initially, when I first started using Taxact.com, it was because the price was dirt cheap.  Today, I use it because I’m just familiar with it, and I’ve never had any issues.  I think it’s still really cheap.

At the end of filing, they give you one report called TaxWatch 2009, in it is one thing I find really useful, and that’s the “Effective Tax Rate.”  ETR = Total Tax Paid / Adjust Gross Income x 100.  The lower the better!

• 2004 = 16.30%
• 2005 = 17.33%
• 2006 = 20.50% (highest AGI)
• 2007 = 11.43% (lowest AGI)
• 2008 = 17.30%

I need to figure out a way to reduce my ETR.